


The Seasons Die Off, One After Another

by annalikesgrapefruit



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Illness, Late 1800s - 1900s, M/M, Servants, akashi is a lil tsundere ok, domestic abuse, idk - Freeform, ooc kinda, tryin 2 not give spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:11:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3909073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annalikesgrapefruit/pseuds/annalikesgrapefruit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku" - amazarashi</p><p>Furihata, a simple boy from a simple family, with a simple life, gets his whole world turned around when he miraculously begins working for the Akashi household, to be a manservant to Akashi Seijuro himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Season, A New Leaf

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER:
> 
> I do not own the characters in this fic, they belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. Though, the names I used for Furihata's and Akashi's families are made up myself, (Masaomi is the canon name for Akashi's dad apparently idk.."
> 
> ~~ Thank you and enjoy!

**CHAPTER ONE**

Furihata, in his and many others’ opinions, was not very interesting. He was just, simple. He was a petite boy with simple brown eyes and messy, but still simple, brown hair who wore simple, second hand clothes that had worn and frayed over time. He lived in a small cottage at the end of the road with ivy crawling its way up the walls and consuming the house. He had made note to cut that down one day.

Again, his village was simple and small, and nothing really stood out much as the whole settlement was shadowed by the Akashi mansion. Furihata often felt intimidated by the large house sticking out over the trees. As a child, he wondered what it would be like to live there, how many hiding places there would be. The garden would be enormous.

But now the mouse-brown boy just wished it wouldn’t look at him in such a dictating manner.

 

Today, however, Furihata was going to take a step towards getting his family back on all six feet. They barely had any money left of what his mother saved, and she had to retire from nursing due to illness. After their father left them, things went downhill. Furihata was the one who cooked, cleaned, took care of his mother, took care of his sister, went out to buy groceries with the little money they had, went out to collect firewood, and he barely got any time to spare.

Finding a job in his village was about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack, but once you find it, you drop it again and it takes a whole lot of effort to keep hold of that needle, so unless you miraculously discover a sewing machine out of sheer, dumb luck, you aren’t going to finish that tapestry any time soon.

As his mother was previously a nurse, and earned them a fair wage, he aspired to become a doctor, to help people. That was his passion it seemed. But even though he studied and crammed himself through his mother’s leftover nursing books, there still wasn’t enough knowledge available to him. No doubt Furihata was above average for his intelligence at only 17, the problem lay in how much it would cost to apply for schooling.

And so, Furihata was determined to earn enough for his family, his mother’s treatment, and his schooling.

“Hey! Furi!” Furihata span around to where the familiar voice came from.

Kawahara and Fukuda were running towards him, waving. He waved back, smiling.

“Hey, what are you two up to?” He asked, adjusting his braces.

“We were just going out job hunting. Apparently some of the market stalls are looking to employ!” Fukuda panted, looking towards the market.

The market was the highlight of the village in Furihata’s opinion. Bright colours surrounded them in different stalls ranging from linen to cabbages. When Furihata was younger he went around knocking the cabbages off the stall and would laugh when the poor man would scream “MY CABBAGES!” One wouldn’t think that Furihata was so mischievous back then. But he had changed since his father left.

“Yeah, I’m looking for one too at the moment.” He sighed. “I need more money as my mother’s earnings are running out.”

Kawahara grimaced. “Everyone’s losing their jobs because no one has any money anymore. We can’t pay our taxes and can barely afford to feed our families. Does that bastard Lord even care about this village? We give them our money and what do we get in return?”

Fukuda nodded in agreement, frowning angrily. Furihata just sighed.

“It’s the law, I guess…” Furihata played with the seam of his shirt.

“Screw the law!” Fukuda retorted. “This is the violation of human rights!”

“Well, maybe once Lord Akashi steps down things will change.” Furihata tried at his optimism.

“No, that Akashi Seijuro is even worse!” Kawahara frowned. “Parading round town saying shit like ‘know your place’ and ‘I am absolute’ to people who didn’t even do anything to him”

Furihata chuckled at his friend’s impression of the heir of the household. “Yeah, I think you’re right there.”

“If he wasn’t so damn scary I would punch him.” Fukuda said triumphantly yet lamely.

“I would probably just start crying.” Furihata said scratching his head awkwardly.

“Yeah I can imagine that…” They all shuddered after imagining Akashi’s reaction to being punched in the face.

“Well, I better go look for somewhere to apply, before all the spaces are taken...”

“Yeah, see ya!”

Furihata jogged off and began walking through the stalls of the market. He came up to the fruit stand where the fruit was beginning to attract flies. He felt his stomach church with unease.

“U-Um… Hello I was wondering if you h-had a job available for me.. I can do anything…?”

The tall man looked down apologetically.

“Sorry kid, we can’t afford any more people, you’re gonna have to find somewhere else.”

“Okay… Thanks anyway.”

He made his way to the next stall.

“YOU! WHY WOULD I WANT YOU AFTER WHAT YOU USED TO DO TO MY POOR CABBAGES?!”

“Please s-sir! I can help! I-I…” Furihata’s stomach felt like a pit of nothingness and he was beginning to feel sick.

“No! I’m not recruiting so go away!” The cabbage man spat.

“S-sorry…”

Furihata had lost count of how many people he had asked, he was beginning to lose hope.

“Hello? Please can I work here?”

“Oh, sorry kid, we just gave out last space to some other kid your age.”

“It’s okay. Thank you anyway.”

Furihata felt his stomach drop each time he got turned down, tears began to sting his eyes and he ran through the street, trying to cover his face.

He needed this so much, but in the end it was just a waste of time, he’s never going to help his mother. His sister will go hungry and he will never become a doctor.

Furihata pushed through the growing crowd and wiped at his eyes while crossing the street.

He wasn’t looking where he was going and before he knew it there was a flash of red along with a sudden burst of perfume, and a fragile body was bashed into him. He stopped and instinctively reached out for the slender arm falling to the ground.

Furihata froze when he realised who he just managed to embarrassingly knock over. None other than the Countess of the mansion.

Furihata’s face heated vigorously, letting out a yelp as he immediately bowed.

“I AM S-S O SORRY I-I WASN’T LOOKING WHERE I WAS G-GOING AND I WILL ACCEPT ANY PUNISHMENT I AM VERY SORRY!” Furihata leaked tears from his eyes again.

The crowds around them began to whisper and utter profanities at him, which only made him feel worse.

He felt the collar of his shirt being clutched and he was yanked back up to the eye level of a vicious-looking girl with mouse-brown hair and a menacing look in her eyes.

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE HUH?!” She tugged at his shirt violently, almost ripping it. “DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU JUST BUMPED INTO?”

Furihata continued to apologise, eyes spilling fresh tears.

“Aida.” A calm, gentle voice cut her out of her rant. “It’s fine.”

Aida let go of his collar and he collapsed to the ground.

“I’m really sorry again.” Furihata scrambled up and looked to the ground.

“You’ve apologised enough, my dear.” She smiled gracefully.

Furihata looked up and took in her features with weary eyes. He was almost blinded by what he saw. She was beautiful. Her pale face was pristine and not a wrinkle could be found. Her eyes were a deep crimson, and were crusted, like jewels. Her hair, also red, fell down her head gracefully, and was tied into a ponytail at the side. It flowed down her body and stopped just above her elbows. It framed her face perfectly. She seemed to be inspecting him, taking in his features also.

“Walk with me?” She offered.

Furihata turned red from staring too long, and nodded quickly.

They began walking in a comfortable silence – the comfort being merely one sided.

“So tell, me. Why were you in such a hurry?” She began.

“U-uhh. I was trying to get a job…” He partly lied. He’d been turned down by everyone but it was too embarrassing to say that.

“You were?” She hints at him to go on.

“Umm.. Well… M-my family is very short on money because my mother is very ill… A-and I want to be a doctor, but I can’t afford schooling…. But I thought maybe if I’m earning money and learning I can h-help her… and y-yeah… we’re poor.”

“I see.” The countess keeps her eyes forward.

Furihata panicked. “I-I-I’m not asking for money!” He waved his hands in front of him. “I’m not asking for anything… I’m sorry!”

She chuckled. “I know. You’re not the type to ask things of people. You seem to be the one who does things more for others.” She smiled at him.

“How can you tell?” Furihata felt somewhat awkward.

“I observe people a lot. There are two types of people. Those who give, and those who take.” She looked down, still smiling. “My son, he’s around your age, you may have seen him once or twice. He is quite… Demanding, if you would put it that way.” She chuckled lightly. “He expects everyone to treat him as if he was already the Lord and wants this entire land of his to bow down to him.”

She looked at Furihata who was smiling slightly. He flinched when she caught him.

“He could do with someone like you, someone to set him straight.” She seemed to be joking, but Furihata could tell she was being somewhat sincere.

Furihata blushes. “Sorry ma’am, but I would probably cry if I were to be in the same room as him.”

The countess chuckled again.

“Tell me boy, what is your name?”

“Uh, Kouki ma’am, Furihata Kouki.”

“Well, Kouki-kun, if you are seeking a job with a decent pay, kind staff, your own private sleeping quarters, then you are always welcome at our household.”

Furihata looked at her with bafflement.

“Of course, if you wish not to, that is also fine.” She smiled at him.

“N-No! Wait I’d love to! This is so very kind of you, thank you ma’am!”

“The pleasure is mine.”

“I just, don’t know who will look after my mother…”

“If you would like, I can hire one of our private doctors to take care of her when you are working. Of course, you will get holidays off to visit your family.”

“Thank you! That will be great ma’am… But… Why are you doing this..?” Furihata looked to the side blushing.

She lifted his head with her fingers gently. “If no one else in my family wishes to help those in need, then I will have to take responsibility.” She smiled. Furihata looked her in the eyes and the sinking feeling in his stomach disappeared.

“Thank y-you..”

“Where do you live?” She asked.

“Uh.. T-The small cottage down that road… A-At the end. The one overgrown with ivy…” Furihata smiled shyly.

“Very well, I will send one of my subordinates to give you the information you will need.”

“Thank y-you so much! This means a lot.. Thank you ma’am…” Furihata bowed again.

The countess smiled. “You can call me Yui.”

Furihata blushed. “O-Okay… Y-Yui-sama”

Yui chuckled again at the use of his respectable honorifics. She put a graceful hand on his trembling shoulder, which made him flinch. Her hands were warm, but looked awfully bony and thin. He could see the purple veins sticking up through her skin. Yet, it looked somewhat beautiful on her slender hands.

“I’ll see you in a week, Kouki-kun.”

With a flash of red, she turned and began to walk away. Her robe blowing in the summer breeze.

“B-Bye…”

\---

Furihata crashed through the front door.

“Aya-chan! Mother! You’d never believe what just happened!”

“ONII-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN” A pair of short stubby hands came flying through the air towards him. Suddenly, a lump of what was his little sister came toppling down on him.

“Oof! You’re getting big.” Furihata smiled at her.

“What happened onii-san! Did you get a job?” His little sister asked excitedly.

“Yes! But that’s not it… Come with me I’ll tell both of you!” He took her hand and let her into his mother’s bedroom.

“K-Kouki..?” His mother’s frail voice came from the small bed in the corner of the room.

“Hey, how are you feeling today?” Furihata sat down in the chair beside the bed and took her pale, weak hand into his. They were cold. Unlike Yui’s. Even though hers were bony and thin. They weren’t cold.

Furihata looked at his mother’s face. Her hair had lost its colour, turning a dirty brown colour instead of the striking brunette. Her face looked hollowed and tired. So fragile, like she could shatter into a million pieces at any moment.

He felt a weak thumb stroke his palm. Furihata looked pained.

“Kouki… Tell me the good news.” She smiled, but it seemed forced, her eyes didn’t sparkle and the smile seemed tired.

Furuhata smiled in the same way. “Well…”

“Onii-san got a job!!”

Furihata chuckled. “That’s not just it.” He put his other hand over his mother’s, as if to warm it slightly. “I accidentally bumped into someone very important… I … might have knocked her over…. But that’s not the point!” His mother chuckled a wet sound in her throat.

“It was the countess! Akashi Yui! She offered me a job!”

His sister gasped excitedly. “The countess!!”

“That’s wonderful, isn’t it? Ayame?”

“Yes! Yes it is!!” Ayame jumped up and down excitedly.

“The only thing is…” Furihata looked sad for a moment. “I won’t be able to take care of you two anymore… I’ll be living in the mansion you see.. As a servant…”

“Eeeh!? Will I ever see you again onii-san??” Ayame began to well tears in her big brown eyes.

Furihata laughed lightly. “Don’t be silly Aya-chan!” He wiped the tears from her eyes with his sleeve. “I get holidays off”

“Yaaaaay!! I will always look forward to holidays when I get to see onii-san!” She smiled her toothy smile.

“So. Yui-san is going to hire a private nurse to look after you. But Aya-chan, you will have to help out a lot more now. Remember all I taught you about laundry?”

“Uh-Huh!” She nodded.

“Kouki-“ His mother was cut off by a fierce coughing fit. Hacking and choking, Furihata rushed to get her a glass of water.

On his return, he had calmed down slightly, only her breathing was heavy. He brought the cup to her lips and offered her to take a sip.

“Kouki… I am so proud of you.” She smiled. “I’m sorry you’ve had to be responsible for everything.. Ever since your father left. I’m sorry you were left with me like this.”

“Don’t apologise Ma, things will get better. I promise.”

He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“You’ll get better soon. I swear it.”

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Welcome To The Family!

**CHAPTER TWO**

 

Almost a week had passed and Furihata hadn’t heard anything from the Akashi household. He was beginning to believe that Yui was just getting his hopes up for nothing.

Furihata was expecting nothing while wiping up the cups and plates from the night before (being careful not to break the already chipped utensils), when he heard a soft knock at the front door. 

“Aya-chan, could you get that?” Furihata asked boredly.

“Sure, Onii-san!”

He heard the sound of the door being opened and a gentle, but manly voice came after. He couldn’t make out the words but Ayame soon came running into the kitchen after him.

“Onii-san, there is a man at the door for you!”

Furihata’s heart sped up and he rushed past Ayame to the front door. Before him stood a huge man who must have been about six foot because his head touched the door frame.

Furihata being Furihata, suddenly felt extremely intimidated.

“Uh- Hello…” Furihata said with a slight whimper.

"Hello, Furihata-kun is it?” The tall man shot him down a smile, which made the smaller boy feel more at ease. 

“Uh, yeah..” Furihata backed away from the door to let the man in. “C-Come in, I’ll make some tea.”

They both sat down at Furihata’s dining table in silence, Furihata giving off a shaky aura that the taller man was completely oblivious to. Furihata attempted to make tea with shaky hands and just about managed not to spill any. He sat down and placed a steaming cup in front of the new guest.

“Thank you,” He graciously accepted the cup and took a sip, looking somewhat pleased at the taste, making Furihata feel a twinge of pride in himself.

“My name is Kyoshi Teppei, and as you may have guessed already, I am here on behalf of Yui-san, I am her personal adviser and assistant.” Furihata had been surprised at the informal name he gave her, but figured that if she had let a puny human like Furihata call her by her first name, then she probably let everyone. Plus, Furihata guessed that it would get pretty confusing if all the servants in the household called everyone ‘Akashi-sama’.

“R-Right.” Furihata nodded.

“I will make this abrupt.” Kiyoshi smiled. “As you know, you will be working as a servant in the Akashi mansion and have a room reserved for you in the servant’s quarters.” Kiyoshi took another sip of his tea.

He nodded again.

“You will start work in two days. Yui-san will give you your duties then.” He placed a bag on the table, offering it towards Furihata. “This is your uniform. Please wear it on your first day. Of course, you don’t have to wear it every day, but Yui-san has provided this outfit in case you did not have anything appropriate.”

“Thank you…” Furihata took the bag with slight unease. He hoped his uniform wasn’t too flashy.

“Do you have any questions?” Kiyoshi finished his tea and placed the cup on the table calmly.

“U-Um… Since I’ll be living there.. What should I bring?”

“Well, I suppose all the things you need to live here, excluding food and toiletries.”

“Mhm.”

“Oh! Don’t forget your normal clothes. Yui-san told me that you will have the usual holidays off to see your family.” He looked towards the door to where Ayame was playing by the stairs. Kiyoshi chuckled

“Thank you for the tea, Furihata-kun. I look forward to working with you.” He said, standing up and heading to the front door.

“Um.. Yeah me too! Th-Thank you for the uniform”

“I’ll thank Yui-san for you.” He waved as he walked down the path to their front gate, before he went down the road, out of sight.

Furihata let out a deep sigh, treading back into the kitchen.

He picked up the bag from the kitchen table and went upstairs to try it on. White shirt - he had plenty of those – black trousers, a tie and a waistcoat. His face heated at the thought of him wearing something as fancy as a waistcoat.

Ayame gasped. “Onii-san! You look so cool!”

Furihata’s face was red as he looked at himself in the mirror.

“Y-You think so?” He stuttered, modestly.

“Yeah! You look like a proper prince!”

Furihata laughed. “I’m only a servant though Aya-chan”

“Get married to the princess then!”

Furihata blushed profusely at three things. First - the thought of him getting married in the first place, Second – the fact that the so called ‘prince’ was in fact, male, and thirdly - as Furihata’s imagination wandered – him getting married to that so called prince, Akashi Seijuro.

“Eh, Heh, Aya-chan” Furihata scratched his head awkwardly. “You know the Lord’s son is a guy right?”

Ayame looked confused for a moment. “So?”

Furihata blushed further. Causing Ayame to fall into a fit of giggles. Furihata smiled at her obliviousness.

It wasn’t as if Furihata didn’t approve of two men getting married, in his society, it was deeply frowned upon. Furihata remembered once, there was an execution held by the church, two men accused of marrying against the churches laws.

“Aya-chan, why don’t you start the dinner while I get changed?”

“Sure, Onii-san!” She smiled before hopping out of his room, her long braids bouncing behind her.

 

\---

 

Today was the day. The day that Furihata would start working for the Akashi household. Furihata’s heart beat with excitement – which was Furihata’s excuse to hide the fact that he was absolutely petrified. 

“Good luck Onii-san! I’m really gonna miss you… Please visit soon..” His sister had bid him farewell that morning, even though she was half asleep and in her pyjamas, she insisted on seeing him out. She had started crying as he left the house but he assured her he would be back soon.

His mother was still asleep at the time so he said goodbye with a kiss to her forehead. She had been looking better lately. Maybe, with help from the nurse who would be coming, she would make a full recovery? No, not maybe. Things will definitely get better…

 

\---

 

Walking up the vast entrance before the household, Furihata gulped as the huge building loomed over him, leaking an intimidating aura that filled him with unease. Five minutes in and he already wanted to go home.  

The pathway up to the front door was ridiculously long and Furihata was becoming breathless, when he saw the front door. Furihata wanted to scream praise to the heavens but he thought that would look a bit stupid. 

He trudged up the path and examined the vast garden – he could get lost in here. He imagined living here as a child, playing hide and seek and climbing endless trees, running around in a space where he could be free. He had the urge to just roll around in the grass but he thought that would also look a bit stupid.

He tilted his head to look at the house. So many windows and balconies, he wondered how many people lived here, or if they were just empty rooms gathering dust. He got a little excited about the thought of cleaning these empty rooms and finding all sorts of things.

His eyes scanned the empty windows until they met with a pair of heterochromatic ones. He flinched in panic and let out a startled yelp as he was locked onto this person’s intimidating stare. From what he could make out, this person had red hair and looked very much like Yui. Furihata came to the conclusion that this person, with the red hair and the glare, must be the Akashi Seijuro. Upon realising this fact, Furihata felt heat rising in his cheeks and abruptly looked away, keeping his head down and power walking towards the front door.

Taking a quick peep up to the same window, he was gone.

Finally reaching this fated front door, he knocked meekly, hoping not to have some cliché moment where the door opens miraculously like in some fantasy story he would to read to Ayame at bedtime.

To his relief, it did not happen - in fact, nothing happened at all. 

He considered knocking again but didn’t want to seem rude, so he waited…

And still nothing happened.

He buckled up his courage and went to knock again, but before his knuckles hit the wood he caught a flash of pale blue in the corner of his eye. 

“Can I help you?” Furihata turned abruptly and saw a short boy with pale blue hair look up to him with daunting eyes.

It took Furihata a few moments to process what just happened, but when he did he yelped in surprise.

“H-How long have you been there?!” Furihata said in surprise, completely forgetting his manners. “Oh- I’m sorry! That was incredibly rude you just surprised me that’s all..”

“It’s ok, I get it a lot…” The boy said with a monotonous voice. “And I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Uh… Sorry!”

"Can I help you?” He repeated with no emphasis.

“Uh… Yeah… I’m Furihata Kouki, I’m supposed to be working here from now on.” He said hesitantly.

“Oh, you’re the new person, follow me, I’ll tell Midorima-kun.” He opened the front door to reveal a beautiful entrance hall with chandeliers and large staircases and pictures hanging from the walls.

Furihata gasped. On the ceiling there were what looked like 13th century paintings and the ceiling trim crusted with gold.

The walls and carpets were different shades of red and gold, with ivory patterns running up and down the surfaces. There were settees, chairs and tables covered in white dotted around the room, to which Furihata thought barely anyone used.

“Please wait here” Kuroko gestured to a spot out of the way and disappeared round the corner.

Furihata didn’t want to be alone in this intimidating house, but he stood silently waiting for him to return.

After what felt like hours, the blue-haired boy returned with someone much taller, with green hair.

“You must be Furihata. I am Midorima Shintarou. I am the mansion’s main butler, and practically your boss.” He adjusted his glasses with his weirdly taped fingers.

“N-Nice to meet you M-Midorima-san” Furihata bowed slightly.

“You don’t need to worry about honorifics or anything with me. Though, the family of the house may be stricter with that.”

“The countess told me to call her by her first name…”

“She does that with everyone.” The shorter boy smiled. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, by the way.”

Furihata shook his hand. “I look forward to working with you… Kuroko-kun.”

Kuroko smiled at him once more. 

“If you wouldn’t mind helping Furihata with his belongings, Kuroko.”

“Of course.” Kuroko took one of Furihata’s bags. “This way Furihata-kun, I’ll introduce you to your room and the staff”

“Uh.. Okay!”

“I will meet you in the kitchens in half an hour, Furihata. You will need to meet the other two residents of this house.”

Furihata gulped as his stomach dropped at the realisation that soon, he would have to encounter the Lord, who seemed pretty scary even though he had never met him before, and Akashi Seijuro; who, to Furihata, was absolutely terrifying. He almost peed himself the one time he made eye contact a couple of years back.

“Yes, sir.”

He followed Kuroko down through the kitchen, where a tall muscular-looking man was mutilating a leg joint with a butcher’s knife – making Furihata jump with every strike – while another even taller man, whose head almost touched the ceiling, was rolling out pastry to line a pre-greased pie tray. The smell of chicken stock filled his nostrils and made his stomach churn.

They proceeded out of the kitchen and past the scullery, where several maids were hurriedly scrubbing plates and stacking them into the cupboards. They came to a long corridor of doors which lead into rooms – Furihata presumed that this was the servant’s quarters.

Kuroko lead him to the very end of the corridor and unlocked the door at the very end. Kuroko gestured him inside. It was a small, yet cosy room – not too different from his own, which made him feel more at home. There was a reasonably sized wardrobe for his very small amount of clothes, a bedside table with a desk and a single bed. It wasn’t much, but it was nice. Funnily enough, Furihata was glad that he wasn’t staying anywhere to fancy, otherwise he would feel rather homesick.

“I cleaned it up as best as I could since the last person came here, but I hope you can make yourself at home.” Kuroko put one of his bags down beside the bed.

“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking… What happened to the last person who worked here?” Furihata felt a sense of unease under the shadow of the former resident of the room.

“Akashi-kun fired him. Apparently he looked down on him and did not suit to Akashi-kun’s needs.”

“O-Oh…?” Furihata felt sick. If the previous person wasn’t adequate, no matter who they were, Furihata would certainly not last long here.

“Don’t worry Furihata-kun. You’ll make a good servant for this household. Don’t be scared of Akashi-kun, just leave him be and you should be fine.” He smiled slightly, reassuringly. “You can unpack your things later, I’d like you to meet the other staff.

“O-Okay…” Furihata nodded, but still didn’t feel to assured. 

Kuroko spoke to a pink-haired girl for a moment, who peered round to look at Furihata curiously, and nodded eagerly.

Moments later a crowd of people had filed into the kitchen, making Furihata feel somewhat overwhelmed.

“Everyone,” Kuroko spoke. “This is the new member of staff I was telling you about in the briefing the other day. Furihata-kun, these are who you will be working with.”

“H-Hello. I’m Furihata Kouki. It is v-very nice to meet you!” Furihata bowed quickly before raising his head to see muffled laughter coming from the crowd of people, causing Furihata to blush.

“Everyone, if you would like to introduce yourselves…”

The people were hesitant for a moment, before the red-haired man with the butcher’s knife stepped out. He slammed the knife into the table causing Furihata to yelp with shock. A grin formed on the man’s face.

“I’m Kagami Taiga! I’m one of the kitchen staff and I cut up stuff a lot I guess!” He yanked the knife which had currently been wedged into the table, stumbling a bit when it finally came loose. “It’s very nice to meet ya, Furihata!” He grinned and pointed the knife in his direction, causing the smaller boy to whimper at the potentially hazardous object currently threatening his face.

“Uh.. I-It’s very n-nice to meet you Kagami-kun…” Furihata stuttered, not taking his eyes from the sharp, metal object. 

Kagami was knocked out the way by an enthusiastic blonde guy.

“Hey there~! My name is Kise Ryouta! I love modelling in my free time! As you can see I have a very pretty face!” He pressed his finger to his chin with a wink. “And I sometimes do the laundry and deliver mail to and from the household~!”

“N-nice to meet you, Kise-kun…" 

Kise went on rambling about his hobbies and his favourite foods until his face was shoved into the wall by a tall, dark-skinned man with blue hair.

“Yo.” He gestured a greeting with his free hand, while the other was melding Kise’s ‘pretty face’ into the wall. “Aomine Daiki; I work in the garden mostly, I do this and that.” He held out his hand in front of Furihata, who took it nervously, hoping it wouldn’t get crushed.

“Nice to meet you.” He nodded, shaking his hand timidly. He wasn’t as nervous now, but was feeling quite intimidated by Aomine.

Before he could see who was greeting him next, his face was muffled into something squishy. He felt arms wrap round him and heard someone call his name excitedly. It took him a moment to realise that his face was buried into a large pair of breasts. The owner of said chest pulled away to reveal Furihata blushing more than ever. Almost the colour of Akashi’s hair.

“My name is Momoi Satsuki! I’m a house maid and am very excited to meet you Furihata-kun!” She ruffled his mouse-brown hair.

“Um… Thank you, same to you.” Furihata brushed down the mess that Momoi had made of his hair earning himself a giggle from the maid.

There was a long silence as they waited for the next introduction.

“Murasakibara-kun, its your turn.” Kuroko nudged the enormous purple-haired man next to him. Though he was only nudging the top of his leg due to the size difference.

“Hah?” Murasakibara was quietly munching on some of the food left out of the side. “Oh.. My name is Murasakibara Atsushi, I’m one of the Chefs...”

Furihata was currently gawking at his size and merely nodded a greeting. Furihata turned to face his next greeting, only to meet a horrifying scowl, coming from a smaller brown haired girl with an intimidating aura seeping from her.

“You better watch yourself, kid.” She walked over to him, approaching slowly until she was inches from his face, when suddenly, as if someone had flicked a switch, she was smiling at him cheerfully – though he could sense the aura still.

“My name is Aida Rico, but you already know me don’t you, hah?” The somewhat cheerful smile merged into something more sadistic. “You better watch your back Furihata-kun.”

With that, she retreated and a familiar, gentler smile greeted him.

“Don’t worry about Aida, she is always like that with new staff.” He chuckled as he felt a cold scowl shoot at him from across the room. “You already know me, but seeing as everyone else is doing it, my name is Kiyoshi Teppei, it’s very nice to see you again Furihata”

Furihata smiled up at the tall man and shook his hand.

The final greeting was with a tall-ish man with glasses and a frown. “My name is Hyuuga Junpei, you can just call me Hyuuga-san or whatever…” He scratched the back of his neck. “I serve under Masaomi-sama, Lord Akashi as you know him, as one of his advisors, and I am Akashi-kun’s personal tutor. I’m sure we will work well together.”

“Thanks, I think so too.” Furihata looked around the kitchen room to all the different faces with a range of different expressions staring him down. “It’s nice to meet all of you and I look forward to working with you”

He bowed respectfully again and flushed when some people chuckled quietly.

“Alright then,” Kuroko interjected. “You all can get back to work now.”

Groans erupted from all around the room which made Kuroko and Furihata laugh.

_Maybe it won’t be so bad after all?_ Furihata thought to himself.

“Furihata” Midorima’s monotonous voice sounded from behind them. “It’s time.” He adjusted his glasses with his taped fingers.

Furihata took that thought back immediately, as a sense of impending doom rose from his gut.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, the bae (Akashi) will turn up in the next chapter.
> 
> In order to keep things preferably regular, I'm gonna write a chapter and then upload one so that I don't run out of chapters and then like leave it for a year (lol). The next chapter might be quite short but that's life I guess idk.
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying this fic so far - you can follow me on tumblr: animesltd , where you can ask me whatever and also I'm gonna start adding links to my fics on there probably... if I find time... I'm such a lazy person gdi.
> 
> Anyway I'll see you guys next time!
> 
> \- Anna


	3. Indroductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet... Finally..

**CHAPTER THREE**

Furihata followed Midorima nervously up into the great hallway and into another room that looked somewhat like a lounge. It was so posh Furihata couldn’t even tell. The same ivory pattern lined the walls with strips of gold running up between them. The seats were a deep scarlet and tea was being brought up by Momoi, who smiled at him encouragingly as he entered the room.

“Take a seat Furihata-kun, your employers will be here shortly.” Midorima gestured to one of the settees which surrounded the glass coffee table in the centre.

Furihata sat down timidly. Midorima began pouring tea for all of them and adding two sugars to one cup, and three to another, while leaving one cup without.

“Do you take sugar Furihata?” Midorima was careful with pouring the exact amount of milk required in the tea.

“Uh, no thank you. Milk is fine… Thank you” He accepted the cup and saucer in his hands and stared down into the milky brown liquid. His stomach was churning and he felt like he was about to throw up, he could barely drink his tea without his hands shaking.

“You must be Kouki.” A deep sinister voice sounded from the doorway. Furihata jumped and spilled some tea onto his leg. He turned around to see a tall, middle aged man wearing a plain suit only without the tie.

He looked even more intimidating than Furihata had imagined. His nerves had completely gone and all that was left was fear. Not because he was intimidated, Furihata was scared.

This was the famous Lord. Akashi Masaomi. Staring at him like dirt on the heel of his shoe. Furihata stood frozen as the Lord approached him.

“I hope you will come to understand soon, that you are the lowest among us. We do not employ peasants in this household. As you know, we are one of the noblest families in the south. Everyone who works here is of noble blood.” His voice was ice, it pierced through Furihata, ripping at everything he even thought was good about this place. Tears stung his eyes but blinked them back immediately. “I want you to know that I very much disapprove of mere commoners coming into such a noble place just to earn money. Know this, Furihata Kouki, you should be on your knees praising me for even looking at you.”

“Masaomi.” A strong, fierce voice pierced through the tension. It was a woman’s voice and sounded angry, yet calm. Furihata looked towards the doorway where he saw a woman with long red hair draping her shoulders, wearing a long red summer dress with a white shawl around her shoulders.

“Yui-san!” Furihata’s face immediately lit up when his eyes met with deep crimson.

“I am so glad you came, Kouki-kun.” She smiled and walked over to him placing her hands on his shoulders. “Shall we sit?”

Furihata nodded and didn’t feel afraid anymore, though, he still had unsettlement deep in his gut. Midorima placed the cup of tea with two sugars in front of her as she gratefully accepted it.

Masaomi sat down on the armchair to the right of them, declining tea and asking for a Scotch.

“You called for me, Shintaro.” This voice sent shivers down Furihata’s spine, and soon enough he was caught in the eyes of Akashi Seijuro once more. The gold and red bore into him, as if he was analysing every part of his soul. He wore nothing more than a dress shirt tucked into black bottoms.

“Akashi, sit, if you would.” Midorima gestured at the settee across from Furihata.

Akashi sat directly across from Furihata and kept staring him in the face. Furihata could only look down at the now half empty cup of tea in his hands.

“As most of you know, Furihata is the newest member of staff, and will be starting his duties as of tomorrow.”

Akashi looked away from Furihata for a moment and looked toward Midorima.

“He will be working as your manservant, Akashi.” He readjusted his glasses as Furihata choked on his tea.

After Furihata had recovered, he looked at Yui, who smiled at him, trying to reassure him and get around the fact that she might have deceived him slightly, but that didn’t matter.

“I do not need a manservant.” Akashi said simply and firmly.

After what had happened with his previous manservant, Furihata guessed he had a reason not to want one.

“Your father has one, and just about manages to keep everything organised, you can’t do everything yourself, Seijuro.” Yui insisted calmly.

“I do not want this commoner influencing my son. Who knows what could happen if this boy starts teaching him dishonourable things.” Masaomi spat, coldly.

Yui looked at Masaomi with sincerity. “The only one who requires influence is you. Kouki-kun is nobler by heart than you could ever be.”

“This is a waste of my time. I neither want nor need a servant.” Akashi stared at Furihata once more, this time with spite in his tone.

“I did not say it was up to you.” Yui replied firmly. “Kouki-kun is very bright, and shall help you with your studies. He will sort everything you need for a day and is willing to do as you command, as long as he is following my orders for him also. He is very bright, and he will be helpful to you, I know it.”

Akashi glared at the quivering boy opposite him.

“You will treat him fairly, as your equal. Do you understand?”

Akashi’s eyes flicked to his mother’s. Kouki noticed his expression soften slightly when meeting her gaze He closed his eyes and nodded, sighing with disapproval all over his face.

Midorima spoke up into the silence. “Then… that is settled. Akashi, lunch will be served shortly, please show Furihata where everything is, and where he needs to go.”

“Hn.” He nodded slowly.

“I have work to do. Excuse me.” Masaomi stood and left the room. But not before he shot Furihata the coldest glare yet.

“I also have matters to attend to. I will see you at supper, Furihata.” Midorima nodded to Furihata and picked up the tray of empty cups and saucers.

“Yeah, s-see you then.”

Yui turned to him. “If you have any queries, come find me. Or you could just ask one of the other workers. Everyone is so friendly here.” She smiled and stood up to leave the room.

“Thank you..”

And then there was just the two of them, and an excruciating silence ensued.

“Are you coming, Furihata?” His voice was brittle and stern. Akashi was stood, waiting for him.

“U-Uh, y-yes! Sorry… Akashi-sama” Furihata cursed himself for not being able to hold his stutter back, and cringed at what honorific he just used.

“I don’t want you to call me that, if that is what you will call my father.” He said calmly but angrily.

“Sorry?”

“Anything else is fine, as long as you don’t look down on me.” He said coldly. The red haired boy glared at Furihata, walking in tow.

“Yes... Akashi-san?” The silence told him that the name was respectable enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dhruva for proofreading this!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a little bit short but the next chapter should make up for it... but I need to actually write some more and also my exams are in full swing so I'm trying not to kms rn so.
> 
> Also if you want to ask me anything you can either comment or go to my tumblr: animesltd - or if u just wanna follow me lol.
> 
> Anyway, see you next time!  
> \- Anna


	4. An Akashi is Absolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> theyre bonding or sth idk

 

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Furihata was woken to the sound of Aida banging aggressively on his bedroom door.

“Get up! You have duties to attend to in case you forgot!!” At that Furihata’s stomach dropped. He dreaded having to wake Akashi up so early, he had no idea whether he was a morning person or not. He recalled the event of yesterday as he sat up on his mattress.

Akashi had shown him his room and where everything was placed, and since Furihata was a fast learner he picked it up pretty quickly, only he was afraid of what would happen if he managed to mess up somewhere.

_“I do not require you to wake me up in the mornings, I can wake myself up with ease.” Akashi stated bluntly._

_“U-Uhm.. Akashi-san… W-Well your mother might have told me the opposite a-and…” Furihata was cut off with a terrifying glare, burning into his entire existence. “I-I’m sorry! B-But I have to follow Yui-san’s orders over yours… I’m sorry!”_

_“Tch… What a nuisance.”_

_There was a long pause, and Furihata did not know what to do in those long, painful seconds. Were they seconds? Maybe even minutes…_

_“You are called Kouki aren’t you?”_

_Furihata nodded._

_“Well then,_ Kouki _, you are dismissed.” Akashi said his name with a cold chill on his tongue. Furihata bowed shakily and promptly left the room. Pressing his back against the wall nearby and taking in a deep, calming breath._

It hadn’t been the best first conversation, and Furihata had no idea how to go about carrying out his duties if he was just going to get glared at.

Furihata got dressed into the uniform provided and went to the kitchen. Everyone had begun work and were starting to prepare breakfast. Aida and Hyuuga had already woken the other residents up, and Aida was preparing a tray of what looked like water and some disgusting-looking medicine. She noticed him looking and swiftly hid the bottle in her pocket before he could read the label, shooting him a scowl and sending him off to the kitchen table. 

It was 6:30, Akashi would have to be woken up in half an hour. Furihata accepted his breakfast of toasted bread and butter from Murasakibara, and after thanking him, he poured himself some orange juice hoping it would help force the food down. Though the last thing he wanted to do was eat when his stomach was churning like it was.

The clock soon reached one minute away from the hour and Furihata slowly stood, not prepared for what was about to come.

“Oh! Furihata!” Kiyoshi had approached him with a glass of water and a small bottle of funny looking pills, both on a silver tray. “Please make Akashi-kun take these as soon as he gets up. He has been having terrible headaches recently, this is some special medicine for him.”

“Uh, yes of course!” Furihata took the tray and made his way up the stairs, trying not to spill the water with his trembling hands.

He reached Akashi’s bedroom door and knocked three times before opening the door slowly. The light seeped into the room and shone on a tuft of crimson hair tucked in to his covers. Furihata noted that it was quite pleasing, watching someone sleep peacefully – Furihata immediately blushed and put that thought aside, putting the tray on the bedside table swiftly.

“I thought I told you I could wake myself up.” Akashi’s muffled voice sounded from under the covers.

“I’m sorry Akashi-san, but I have to follow the duties that have been set for me.” Furihata felt unusually calm while Akashi was in such a harmless, tired state. Maybe it was because he was too tired to deal with annoying pests such as Furihata?

Furihata opened the curtains to let the sunlight into the room. He heard a small noise of protest sounding from Akashi’s current position, in bed. Reluctantly, the crimson-haired boy sat up and let his eyes adjust to the sunlight.

Akashi felt a jolt of pain spread through his temple and to the rest of his head, making him grunt with pain and clutch at his already messy hair.

“I was told to give you these tablets. They will help with your headaches.” He showed Akashi the bottle and read the instructions on the side. “You must take two at a time, every day when you wake up and go to bed.”

Furihata shook two of the brown-ish tablets from their bottle and handed them and the glass of water towards Akashi, who was still clutching at his head.

“I do not need tablets. I’m fine.” Akashi replied, but was soon struck with another wave of pain struck throughout his cranium.

Furihata sat on the side of the bed and held the tablets and water towards him. “I think that your mother wants you to relax more. You seem to be very stressed – a-and even though I have not known you for long I can tell that you need someone to help you with that stress. That is why Yui-san probably hired me, and I want to do this job properly, out of respect for what Yui-san did for me. So please take these tablets Akashi-san.”

Furihata had closed his eyes out of embarrassment, but soon felt gentle hands take the contents from his hands. He opened his eyes and saw Akashi swallow one of the tablets. He smiled and got up from the bed.

“I’ll run your bath.”

After filling the tub with hot water he laid towels out on the stool next to the bath and told Akashi that the water was ready, the latter proceeding to the bathroom and locking the door.

“Breakfast will be ready in about an hour.” He called through the door, but got no reply.

Furihata made his bed and laid out a change of clothes for him, which consisted of a shirt and trousers, just like he had worn yesterday, as he didn’t really have experience in Akashi’s style. He’d just presumed that he would be fine wearing that since he wore something similar the day before.

Furihata was ready to return to the servant’s quarters to help breakfast when he caught his eye on the bookshelves in the corner by Akashi’s desk. They did often say that ‘curiosity killed the cat’, but Furihata didn’t have many books to read from at his home, and so had to re-read all his books to teach himself how to read and write properly. As he had had no one to teach him since the age of 7 – his mother was always working and got home late at night.

He inspected the two shelves, each sorted alphabetically, and in each genre. His eyes locked on to a flashy, fat hardback book which read in big letters: DISEASES & SYMPTOMS.

Furihata grabbed it and opened the cover. He flicked through dozens of pages about diseases and their symptoms and the latest developments in treating them. He came onto a section which read “common & uncured diseases”. This piqued Furihata’s interest. Maybe he could determine what illness his mother had. He knew it was some kind of virus, but much worse.

 

“ ** _INFLUENZA VIRUS_** _: A deadly ‘flu’ that has spread throughout the globe after the war, and can be potentially fatal if not treated adequately. Symptoms often include: Fever/feverish chills, cough and a sore throat, blocked nose, muscle/body aches, fatigue and in some cases vomiting and diarrhea._

_The origins of this influenza variant is not precisely known. It is thought to have originated in China in a rare genetic shift of the influenza virus. The recombination of its surface proteins created a virus novel to almost everyone and a loss of herd immunity. Recently the virus has been reconstructed from the tissue of a dead soldier and is now being genetically characterized.”_

Furihata had heard of ‘influenza’ before, though to be completely certain he had to see his mother and check for the symptoms.

 

“ ** _SCARLET FEVER:_** _A fatal disease which produces a ‘scarlet’ rash along the arms,_ _the rash starts as small red spots, usually on the neck and upper chest, and soon swells. It may feel like fine sandpaper when you touch it._ _Disease is spread by inhalation. Other symptoms include:_ _Sore throat, high fever, lack of appetite, nausea/vomiting, swollen tongue with a white coating which will peel off and leave it sore and red.-”_

 

“What are you doing?”

Furihata yelped and almost dropped the book while trying to put it back on the shelf. He turned to look at the source of the voice and was met with those intense heterochromatic eyes. Akashi stood in the doorway wearing just a towel, yet looking natural as always; while Furihata stood blushing like a tomato.

“A-Ah, I’m so sorry I was just curious and-“ He noticed Akashi look down to the book he was reading and quickly put it back where it had been on the bookshelf. 

He quickly bowed apologetically. “I’m very sorry, in the future I will read my own books in my own time.” Without looking at the other he swiftly left the room and closed the door behind him.

Furihata let out a deep breath he didn’t realise he was holding, and scurried down to the kitchens. He wanted more books like that to read, but he never had any money to buy such things. He wondered if he could use the library on one of his days off and see what they have there. But he was told that Masaomi often worked in there. He would have to ask Hyuuga about that.

Hurriedly making his way back down to the kitchens, he goes over what he read in those books. They seemed to hold much more information than his mother’s old ones, half of the time he could barely read her handwriting, but these books were written with printing presses and typewriters, the clear font even made Kouki a little bit excited. Maybe if he ever got the chance to study with Akashi, he would be able to read through a couple.

Furihata reached the kitchens and was hit with the scent of fresh bread being retrieved from a hot oven, the said loaves were now being transferred onto a cooling rack, where they would be put onto smaller plates, being retrieved by Momoi, with a slab of butter while they are still warm. From the other side of the room, he could smell the scent of green tea brewing, which was a refreshing thing to inhale at this time in the morning.

“Furihata-kun,” Kouki had not noticed the pale-blue tuft of hair that had approached him, and jumped out of his skin once he made contact with those cerulean eyes.

“AH! Kuroko… Sorry I didn’t notice you there”

“You get used to it.” Kagami called from by the oven, immediately cursing after not paying attention to how long he was holding the scolding loaf of bread he was holding.

Kuroko chuckled at Kagami’s idiocy. “Would you mind helping Kise and Momoi set out the dining room.

“Oh, of course!”

“Furihata-cchi! Over here!” Kise was holding a tray of knives and forks, piled next to stacks of cups and plates.

Furihata stared. “Kise! I’d be careful with tha-“

Kise lost balance of the tray and the utensils would have gone crashing to the ground if Aomine hadn’t rescued it and proceeded to bash his flaxen head against the wall brutally.

“You idiot! Use the trolley.” Aomine transferred the utensils safely onto the trolley, earning a sigh of relief from Furihata.

“Aomine-cchi is so mean…” Kise wined tearfully.

“Yeah, get over it.”

Momoi called Furihata to follow her after picking the half conscious Kise from the floor. He was guided into another large room with gold crusted walls and plush chairs, with expensive paintings on the walls and a fireplace to the side. There, some maids were already setting out the table cloth after wiping the table clean of any marks or dirt.

“I’m sure you already know how to set a table, but just know that the cup is always placed upside down on the saucer before the person begins drinking from it, and the knife is always to the right of the fork!” Momoi demonstrated with skill on the table.

“Alright, that seems pretty simple.”

He proceeded to set out the cutlery and plates on the table while Kise and Momoi followed by placing napkins and teacups. After the three places were set, they looked back at their handy work.

“Ah! Furihata-cchi! Remember that the end of the teaspoon must always be facing away from the handle of the teacup!” Kise proceeded to turn the teacups round the correct ways.

“It is a bit pretentious but that is practically what noble etiquette is all about!” Momoi chuckled.

Kuroko joined them with the trolley of warm bread and tea, when they heard footsteps arriving at the doorway. Furihata turned to see the leader of the household walking in and taking his respectable seat at the foot of the table. Furihata felt slightly nauseous about what Akashi Masaomi had said to him the day before. But he brushed the thought aside, as he needed to do his job well, and not be put off by authoritative figures.

“Good morning Akashi-sama. Here is the morning paper as requested,” Kise handed him the local newspaper and held up some letters. “Here is your mail, you have a letter from the Earl of Yosen, he wishes to meet with you concerning the recent trades in the south.”

“Thank you, Ryouta.”

“Good morning Furihata-kun,” Yui had entered and come over to him with a warm smile, instantly making him feel better. “How has work been so far? Was Seijuro a nuisance? He never has been a morning person.” She chuckled lightly, taking a seat as Furihata pulled the chair out for her.

“Ah, well he was a bit reluctant to take his tablets…” Furihata said earnestly, looking sideways to see if Masaomi was looking at him disapprovingly for sounding like he was being disrespectful.

“I’m sure he was!” Yui strained another laugh as she looked like she was about to start coughing, as frail-looking as she already was. “You’ve never liked taking tablets have you Seijuro?”

Furihata looked to the doorway to see Akashi walking towards the table to take his seat. Furihata froze and hoped that Akashi did not hear what he said before. The latter stared at him back with his usual glare, but it wasn’t as intimidating.

“I have not.” He received his mail gratefully from Kise, opening the first one carefully.

Furihata walked over to the tray that had been brought in and picked up the teapot that was filled with hot tea that had been brewing earlier. He picked up the teapot while Momoi began placing bread onto people’s plates with a pair of tongs. Furihata carried the teapot over to Yui first, who turned her teacup over to let him pour a reasonable amount into it, he looked toward her for reassurance if it was enough, and an encouraging smile told him it was. Next he made his way over to the Count, finding that the newspaper was in the way of the teacup, and Furihata really did not want to ask him to move it. 

“A-Akashi-sama, would you like some tea?” He manages to keep a smile on his face while the man glared back at him and turned his cup over to allow him to pour the same amount into the cup, trying not to spill any with his shaky hands.

Once he got to Akashi, he found that his teacup had already been turned over, and the red-head was not paying much attention to him as he was reading one of the letters addressed to him. After pouring his cup, Furihata felt proud of himself for completing a task without breaking or dropping anything.

“Seijuro.” Akashi looked up to the sound of his father’s voice. “What are your duties for today?”

Akashi placed his butter knife down on his plate. “I have my studies for today, and Reo from the Mibuchi household is joining me for riding.”

“I see, I hope that both your outside and inside activities are proving you to be absolute.” Akashi averted his eyes from his father to the abandoned buttered roll in front of him. “Being victorious in all fields is what is expected of you after all.”

“Yes.” Akashi looked up at his father with what looked like spite. “I am aware.”

Masaomi did not look impressed at his only son’s attitude. A glance from Yui warned him not to respond. “Will your _squire_ be joining you with your studies today?” The bite of his words when referring to Furihata sent shivers down his spine, and suddenly all eyes in the room are on him.

Furihata tried to interlude to inform the man but was interrupted by Akashi.

“Hyuuga is tutoring me today. Kouki will join me for my studying.” Akashi looked from Furihata to his father.

“I see.” Furihata saw the slight glare that Akashi was addressing his tea with. There was silence in the room and Kouki began to feel uneasy at the tension.

“Seijuro. Make sure you are excessive with you studies always. Junpei reports that you are doing as expected,” His father had a bite to his words which made Furihata shiver. “But that is not enough.” Akashi tightened his grip on his cup.

“Yes Father, I-“

“May I remind you that as a part of this household,” Akashi visibly flinched when interrupted, while his father continued with his condescending tone. “You are expected to be victorious in everything. If you are not-“

“Masaomi. That is enough.” Yui said calmly, her hands set down either side of her plate.

“You know very well that I am just-“

“That’s enough!” Yui slammed her hands in their place. The impact of her raising her voice caused a fit of vicious coughing, sending a herd of servants over to her with water and remedies.

Furihata tried to comfort her but was pushed away by the busy servants tending to their Lady. He backed away from the crowd to see Akashi excuse himself from the table. Furihata rushed over to retrieve his plate, half-eaten.

“Akashi-san, are you going to eat any more?” Furihata looked down at the plate, and back up into tired, crimson eyes.

Akashi looked at him for a moment. “Excuse me, I’ve lost my appetite. Thank you for the food.” Bowing to the table, he walked out of the dining room and only Furihata saw the look that flashed in his eyes when he passed his father. 

After everyone had excused themselves from breakfast, Furihata collected each of the plates. Only to find Akashi’s half eaten plate had been joined by another which had barely been touched at all.

_Maybe she was full from second helpings…_ Furihata let the optimistic thoughts remain in his head. But something did not feel right.

 

\---

 

“Ah! Akashi-san, welcome home.” Furihata greeted him as he came through the door. “Did you have a good day?”

“It was as usual.” Furihata took his coat and hung it in the closet carefully.

“Well, that’s better than ‘it was terrible’ I suppose…” Furihata chimed, unexpectedly comfortable at the present moment.

Akashi looked at him strangely for a moment, before he showed a very slight smirk seep onto his face, which could only be seen by Furihata at that time. “I suppose.”

After getting halfway up the stairs he stopped and turned his head back to Furihata. “Kouki, please tell everyone that I will not be joining them for dinner. I ate at the Mibuchi household.”

“Yes of course. Good night Akashi-san.”

Akashi nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

 

\---

 

Furihata knocked on Akashi’s door later that evening. 

“Akashi-san, can I come in?” He took the silence as an affirmative.

Once he opened the door, he saw Akashi at his desk, his hand clutching his cranium while writing something that looked like he had spent hours on. Furihata walked over to the table and placed a glass of water down.

“Are these your studies?” Furihata leaned over as Akashi sat back and winced at the pulsing in his forehead. “Oh! I brought your tablets. I think you should take a break… If you would like, I can lend a hand tomorrow. I don’t really know much about,” Furihata read the elegant writing on the paper in front of him, “business and stock market levels from trades with international companies through the Akashi business in the last 100 years…” Furihata had to breathe a little after the mouthful, “But I might be of some… assistance…”

Furihata read the first paragraph and cringed at the amount of vocabulary he had never come across. “W-well, I know what an independent variable is… If… t-that’s any use…” He let out a small laugh to hide his complete bewilderment. Only he looked towards Akashi and was met with a sceptical look which made him feel even more useless.

Furihata grabbed the glass and the bottle of tablets from the table. “Y-you should take your tablets, Akashi-san.”

Akashi took them both out of Kouki’s shaky hands and opened the cap to shake out two small, brown pills into the palm of his hand. Slowly and carefully, he swallowed them, frowning when swallowing in case they went down the wrong way. “Thank you.” He said, giving the empty glass and went to continue with his ‘assignment’ or whatever that could possibly be for a 17 year old.

“Akashi-san,” Furihata stopped him from picking up his pen. “I think you should get some rest, it’s already way past eleven…”

Akashi frowned for a moment, but then nodded. Furihata helped put his things away to leave a tidy desk and made Akashi’s bed while the latter was in the bathroom – Furihata cringed at the fact that he had forgotten to do it earlier.

“According to my schedule, I’m supposed to be studying human biology tomorrow.” He looked towards his bookcase, and back at Furihata. “That might interest you, Kouki.”

“Ah…” Furihata remembered the time he had been caught reading Akashi’s books. “Yes… Thank you… That would be great.”

Furihata collected the glass and tablets from the desk and opened the door to leave, but stopped in his tracks.

“Good night, Akashi-kun.” He looked at the tuft of scarlet hair settling in the pillows.

“Night, Kouki.”

Furihata smiled, closing the door behind him. Funnily enough, he couldn’t remove the smile from his face even if he wanted to. He made his way down the corridors towards the servant quarters.

 

“Aida. You know very well that if Seijuro finds out-“

“This is serious Yui! You can’t possibly prevent this with these ‘remedies’. You need a doctor! This is…”

Furihata froze. _Was something wrong with Yui? Come to think of it…_

“Aida, trust me. It will pass. I promise this won’t get worse.”

“But if it does… Your son…”

Yui chuckled. “He is alright. Seijuro has _him_ now, after all.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry lol
> 
> I was proofreading it tryna think of a chapter title and my friend told me to call it 'gay pornography' and add this little extract written especially;
> 
> " Akashi put his ding dong in Furihata*  
> *furi whats his face cries*  
> 'shut up u fggt' said Akashi 'kk my homie ill do it for you' sniffed furi wot wot "
> 
> *to be continued*
> 
> welp its been a while... I think... idk author-san has not been keeping track of time.
> 
> my exams are over so I have no more excuses and I should try to update regularly but im a lazy ass and I never keep y promises im sorry. if you wanna follow my tumblr for shitposting and possible updates if I remember then my tumblr is : animesltd.tumblr.com :)
> 
> anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.... apart from the cliffhanger.... I guess im a cliffhanger kind of person... idk
> 
> I'll see you guys next time!  
> \- Anna


	5. Spring is Coming to an End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi and Furihata study together... Furi is getting a bit too comfortable with Akashi ;)
> 
> Meanwhile Yui pays a visit to someone familiar and comes to terms with her situation.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 

“I’ve read about that before!” Furihata read a paragraph from the book Akashi was studying. “My mother had written about it in her books from when she was learning.”

“Is that so?” Akashi looked up from the paper he was writing on. “Then, you could tell me all you know about it, as you seem to be more experienced with it than I am – which is unusual…”

“O-of course!” Furihata turned the book towards him and skim read the page to remind himself. “It was difficult to read my mother’s handwriting, but I still understood most of it.” He grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling on it. “I think it goes like this… I did read it a long time ago… and I haven’t been to school so I don’t really know much about…”

“That’s alright, I can read up on it anyway, but I’d like to hear you explain it.” Akashi was reading him like he had been reading all his books, and Furihata suddenly felt under a lot of pressure.

“Ah… Okay.” Furihata swallowed the lump in his throat and continued. “You see, this German monk called Gregor Mendel spent his life planting pea plants and taking note of the colours of the flowers. He noticed that the offspring from the parent plants which had red flowers, also had the same colour.” Furihata drew out a diagram of his explanation, trying to keep it neat. “However, some of the second generation had white flowers, indicating that there are dominant traits and recessive traits. Although we do not know much about inherited features from humans, and why we look like our parents… But many scientists believe that his work can lead to the answer to it. If… you get what I mean…”

“I see, so you’re saying that the trait of the white colour was carried recessively down through the first generation, but appeared in the second generation as that flower carried the characteristic also.” Akashi had a glint of speculation in his heterochromatic eyes.

“Yes… The way you put it probably would have been simpler. I guess you could relate it to how your family all has red hair, so it must be a dominant characteristic. Although the colour of your eyes is quite odd because you would usually have either red or gold, but you seem to have both…” Furihata realised what he was saying and looked away, blushing.

“I suppose so. Thank you Kouki.” Akashi began reading the book again. He took out a scrap piece of paper and began listing something. “Could you go to the library and get me these books? You could have a look around the same section, since I think the books there might interest you. Bring some along so that you have something to study also… It may help with your learning, if you still want to be a doctor, that is.” He smiled and handed the list of books to Furihata.

“O-oh of course! Thank you…” Furihata took the list and exited his room, trying to hide the blushing smile his face was showing.

Furihata had never been in the library before. He didn’t think he had the authority to enter, he knew that the Lord Akashi used it as his office, and Kouki really did not want to disturb him or inconvenience him in any way. Furihata was already disliked by him.

Pushing the doors open, he was greeted by the sight of rows upon rows of bookshelves, lined to the brim with books of all different shapes, sizes, genres and languages. He was amazed at the sheer brilliance, the amount of knowledge this room held. Furihata almost felt his mouth water at the thought of it all. He looked down to the scrap piece of paper with the books Akashi required. It read;

 

 _ Section B – science and philosophy _ _(the second row to the right as you come in)_

  * _Cell theory and division, Robert Remak._

  * _Organic chemistry and experimental physiology, Friedrich Wohler._

  * _Encyclopeidia of modern scientific research, (I have it reserved furthest to the right.)_



 

Furihata made his way to the second row to the right as the paper said and skimmed the names of the authors alphabetically, looking for the books he sought. Finding the ones he needed, he looked for a couple he could borrow, possibly ones about the human body and fighting diseases.

At the end of one of the shelves, he found a book which was similar to the one he had read from Akashi’s bookshelf “DISEASE; PATHOGENS AND BACTERIA” Furihata read the blurb and saw that it held much more interest to him than the other one did, and was much more modern. Furihata added it to the pile along with a book about the human anatomy. Carrying the pile carefully, he headed towards the doors and tried to exit without using his arms, which proved unsuccessful.

“What are you doing here?” A stern, chilling voice sounded from the other side of the room. Furihata was so startled that he managed to almost topple over and drop the books on the floor. He managed to hold on to two at least. Furihata turned to see Masaomi sitting at a desk with piles of paper in front of him, and he did not look pleased.

“U-uhh.. I’m very sorry! I was collecting books for your son a-and I was just leaving-“ Furihata felt his stomach drop at the way the man looked at him.

“Come.” He gestured Furihata to come over beside him. He sifted through his papers and lifted a section of them in front of Kouki. “You see this? This is the details and backgrounds of all our staff.” He took the sheet at the back and waved it in his face. “We have nothing on you. Nothing other than ‘Furihata Kouki, 17, Manservant’.” Furihata gulped. “I do not know where you come from or who your family are and that is not acceptable. Therefore I do not trust you near my son.”

“I can tell you about myself, sire-“

“Do not interrupt me.” He lowered the paper and sorted it back into the pile. “I do not want to know what farm of pigs you were bred into, _Furihata Kouki_ , I would not trust you either way. Just know this: one wrong move; one sign that you are influencing my son and I will make sure you and your family are gone from this town. You will not see this mansion again.”

“I don’t think you have the authority to do that, Father.” Furihata visibly felt shocked and relieved at the presence of Akashi in the room. “It is only Mother and I who he takes orders from, after all.”

“I am the leader of this household, Seijuro. I have authority over everything.”

“I will not let you treat my servant like vermin. He is more capable than many of these ‘nobles’ we have working here.”

Furihata looked at Akashi with shock and relief. “Akashi-kun…”

“I see he has already turned you soft. It has merely been a week.” He chuckled, spitefully. “Do as you wish. But bear in mind what I said, Kouki.” He spat.

Furihata only saw it for a moment, but a powerful flash struck in Akashi’s golden left eye. The intensity of the glare sent shivers down his spine, but saw that it was directed at the retreating back of his father. Once he was gone, Akashi’s gaze softened and he looked to Furihata.

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to be spoken to in that manner.” Akashi walked over to him and took half of the pile he was carrying. “I came to pick up another book that I missed on the list I gave you, but you seem to have chosen that one already.” He gestured to the book which held information on the human anatomy. Akashi smiled at the coincidence and began walking back to his room, indicating for Kouki to follow.

 

\---

 

Furihata had learnt more that day just from the books Akashi had lent him than he ever had from his mother’s messy scribbles. He had learnt about the causes and symptoms of scarlet fever, which he remembered reading about in one of Akashi’s books. He had also memorized the entire digestive and circulatory systems, which was really interesting for him, as he found out about these organisms called ‘enzymes’ which can help break down food into other things. Akashi had actually laughed at his curiosity in almost everything. Furihata had been surprised to hear him do such a thing. It was smooth, almost velvety and it relaxed him somewhat. It made Furihata smile more than anything, and brought the familiar red tint to his cheeks.

“Thank you for joining me today Kouki. I appreciate your help with my studies.”

“That’s okay, it’s my job after all” Furihata chuckled. “And thank you for letting me borrow those books.”

“You’re welcome any time, not many others will be so grateful to use them.”

Furihata collected empty glasses and trays on his way out. “I see. Well, good night Akashi-kun.”

“Good night _Furihata-kun_.” He could hear the smile in his voice, making Furihata blush at the mocking of his honorifics. Only when he looked back through the closing gap in the door did he see Akashi trying to old back a grin as he unbuttoned his shirt.

When he had reached his chambers Furihata’s heart was still thumping in his chest. He was tired, and wanted to go to sleep, but he lay awake thinking about his day with Akashi, how he smiled at him… His laugh. He recalled how those soft lip had always curved into a sceptical smirk whenever Furihata stammered or was caught staring for too long. He imagined what they would feel like on top of his. The feel of his soft, hands that looked so graceful, as he wrote pages of his neat, delicate handwriting. He wanted to be closer to Akashi, and inhale his perfumed scent, and feel the intense gaze that he always gave him. He couldn’t remember how many times he had been caught in his gaze.

Furihata was blushing profusely, trying to stop his thoughts progressing to when Akashi had been unbuttoning his shirt and smirking at him. He squirmed in his sheets and rolled over, trying to avoid thinking about how he ay or may not have developed _feelings of attraction_ to the man he was supposed to be a servant to. Its not like he actually wanted to be with Akashi _like that._ Of course not… Surely…

Furihata smacked his head and hid his face under the covers. He should forget about everything he just thought.

He was pretty much screwed.

 

\---

 

Yui walked down the cracked cobblestone streets, to the house covered with the ivy at the end of the road. She had been meaning to visit Kouki’s family for a while now. She spun her parasol round as she breathed in the scent of fresh air. Something she hadn’t experienced for a while now.

She approached the wonky gate of the Furihata household, and approached the door, knocking three times. She had to wait a while, but she eventually heard excited footsteps growing louder until the door opened abruptly to reveal a girl with mouse brown hair and eyes, smiling a toothy grin up at her.

The little girl gasped. “You’re so pretty! Are you the princess?”

Yui laughed gently. “I’d like to think of myself as more of a queen, but yes, I suppose you are right.”

“Are you from the mansion?” The girl took in her attire, which seemed to contrast the clothes the girl was wearing.

“I am. Is Doctor Midorima still here?”

“She left about an hour ago. Mama’s still awake if you wanna talk to her?”

“Yes, thank you. You may join us, as I have come about Kouki.”

The girl gasped delightedly and fled up the stairs, gesturing for Yui to follow. “Mama! The beautiful queen is here about Kouki!!”

Yui came into the room and saw many wet towels and bottles of medicine. She looked over to the bed in the corner where she saw a woman her age, wrapped in several shawls to cover her frail body. She brought a chair round and sat beside her, smiling reassuringly into the woman’s tired eyes.

“M’lady.. You shouldn’t get to close. I wouldn’t want you to catch anything.” Kouki’s mother rasped weakly.

“It is quite alright. Call me Yui. Kaya is it?”

She nodded.

“It is lovely to finally meet you. Don’t worry, your illness will not make any difference to my… current condition.” Yui said weakly. “I fear I may have something much worse than what you have.”

Kaya sat up, a frown creasing her brow, “May I take a look at you M’lady? I was a nurse and so…”

She leaned forward and took Yui’s face in her hands, inspecting the red flush she supposed was a fever. She gently felt the sides of her jaw and neck, caressing the swollen glands in her throat. She noticed the swelling and took one of her hands gently. She felt carefully across the bumpy and dry skin that covered her arms which seemed to be some kind of rash. Guiding Yui’s head towards the light, Kaya observed her pupil dilation, noticing they didn’t seem to be focusing and contracting as they normally should, indicating that she is experiencing some kind of nausea.

“Would you mind… Opening your mouth M’lady?”

Yui did as was asked, and the woman inspected her mouth, feeling her fingers against her temple to take a temperature. Yui’s tongue was red and swollen, the back of her throat looked painful and sore, a white residue forming on the sides of her tongue. She had a bad feeling…

“How much have you been eating lately..? Do you find it … difficult to keep you food down..?”

Yui looked shocked for a moment, then looked down sadly, the silence confirming it. Kaya’s face fell.

“I see… This is just a rough diagnosis… But, I have seen this many times before. I don’t want to lie to you and tell you something to make you feel better, but there really isn’t much any of the best doctors would be able to do at this point…” She took in a breath and sighed. “It looks to me like… Scarlet fever.” She leaned back against her pillows looking down sadly.

“I see. I thought that there might not have been much I could do about it.” Yui smiled, feeling rather at peace considering the situation.

“You have been so kind. I cannot thank you enough. I honestly wish there was something I could do but…” Yui placed her fragile hand into hers.

“It feel it is my duty to help those in need, and I can rest easily knowing that I have helped your family, and that your son will help mine.” She smiled back, squeezing the hand which was holding hers.

Kaya smiled, eyes glassy. “How is he?”The two women chatted for hours, Ayame coming often to sit with them or bring them tea and biscuits. Yui felt almost at home. This was the type of family that Kouki came from, and she was helping to get them back on their feet. She just wished she could be there to see them be happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhahahaha I'm sorry
> 
> Thanks for reading again, I had time to write after prom bc i'm feeling drained from that experience /-\
> 
> Once again I will remind you all that I do have a tumblr and that I don't post anything particularly interesting on there but you can ask me a question and I will post updates of this fic if I remember ahha. animesltd.tumblr.com 
> 
> im bad at html formatting so u can paste the link or sth idk
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed this (eventful?) chapter and I'll see you guys net time when shit may or may not go down huehuehue ;*
> 
> -Anna


	6. Unhindered Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Akashi's pov this chapter.
> 
> DO UR HOMEWORK KIDS (ahahahaha haha.. soz)

 

 

Seijuro made his way down the stairs towards the dining quarters. He had been feeling much better lately, most likely due to the fact that Kouki wasn’t letting him stay up late to finish all his assignments. His headaches had ceased to disturb him as well. His servant had woken him up that morning and Seijuro had not given him his ‘signature glare’ as he didn’t see a reason to, he had felt just fine. In fact, his ‘signature glare’ had stopped working a while ago as Furihata simply chuckled and opened the curtains, blinding Akashi into submission.

He hadn’t been worrying as much about his studies lately, and instead he would take time to just talk to Kouki, as Seijuro found it relaxing to talk to such a simple, yet enjoyable person. He honestly didn’t know why he had not liked his presence at first, but it was most likely because Kouki was able to break down the wall that he had put between himself and others for the sake of his father. For the first time in years, he had been able to smile at someone other than his mother.

He hadn’t spoken to his mother in a while, which concerned him. Walking into the dining room he noticed that she was not there again. He felt a pit in his stomach, something felt wrong with this situation. His mother was gradually looking ever weaker, and she had employed someone to look after him? Or keep him company? For what?

“Where is mother?”

Furihata and Kise were setting up the table. Kouki also seemed to notice her disappearance and his brows creased in suspicion.

“Ah! Good morning Akashi-san, Riko said that Yui-sama was not feeling well this morning, so she is having breakfast in her quarters.” Kise said while placing utensils on the table.

“I see…” Seijuro looked to Kouki for a moment and found he was giving him the same look as the former was. They both knew something was not right, just looking at Kouki, he could tell that the latter was thinking the same.

Seijuro took is seat at the foot of the table and waited for the rest of the household to arrive – which was just his father. His stomach turned not just with hunger but with unease as he knew what was coming for him from his father that morning.

He would be told that he wasn’t working hard enough and he was not remaining ‘victorious’ in everything. He also knew who the blame would be put on. The red-haired boy looked towards Furihata, who was happily setting cups and plates on the table, making sure that each utensil was set in the correct position. A smile forced its way onto Seijuro’s face as he watched his manservant admire his efforts and continue on to place everything else on the table. Furihata looked his way and gave him one of his heart-clenching smiles which made Seijuro’s stomach turn. He realised he had been caught smiling and quickly looked back at the newspaper, regaining his composure, as an Akashi should. He looked to the side and noticed Kuroko watching them intently with his cerulean eyes, he gave Seijuro _a look_ and made his way back down into the kitchens. He frowned at Kuroko’s hinted expression and flicked through the newspaper trying to find something worth reading to distract him from what he knew was coming.

“Seijuro.” He winced at that familiar tone which came from the doorway. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat out of his anxiety, he looked up to meet his father’s golden eyes that pierced into him.

“Good morning, Father. Did you sleep well?” Akashi looked away from the golden glare sent his way.

“As usual, what about you, _son_?” The word referring to him did not fit his bitter tone.

“I have been sleeping better lately, the pills that I was given have helped somewhat, but I have been getting rest at better times lately” He looked at Kouki, who blushed slightly as he knew he was referring to him. “That has helped the most. I’m not studying too late either, I feel much better nowadays.”

His father’s gaze had followed his towards Kouki. “I see, so you have not been studying as much lately, then?”

Seijuro was halfway to bringing his cup to drink from when he stopped, he knew his father would bring it up. He hadn’t finished an assignment on time because Kouki told him to rest because it was proving to be too difficult for both of them, especially at that hour.

“That’s not it-“

“You haven’t been finishing you studies on time, so you haven’t been studying as much as you should have been, correct?” He was not backing down, and his gaze was fixated on him from across the table.

Seijuro placed his cup back on the saucer to prevent him from spilling the liquid. He tried to swallow but found it difficult to compose himsef. The only time he ever feels intimidated is when he is under his father’s gaze like this.

“I was finding this particular assignment quite challenging, so I-“ he looked to Kouki who seemed to be frozen on the spot. No, he couldn’t tell him about Kouki, he would be blamed for it and could even lose his job for 'badly influencing him'. “I decided that I would let my mind rest, and come back to it with a fresh mind in the morning.”

“Then why didn’t you finish it?”

“I have been quite busy lately, with my other work and I have been visiting many of the other households in our business.” Akashi was finding it difficult to keep calm, as well as trying his best to supress his hesitation.

“Do you think you can come up with an excuse for your laziness? Even if you have had many appointments you should find time to complete your studies!” His tone got more angry and intimidating. “You are the only heir to his household and you treat your position like this? You are insolent and lazy, you do not understand the importance of being absolute."

Akashi hid his face from the glare sent his way.

"You don’t deserve to be the son of an Akashi.”

 

“Akashi-sama!”

Seijuro looked up to Furihata who was bowing towards his father. Seijuro wanted to stop him but his father’s presence was holding him in his place.

“Kouki-“

“Please do not blame your son for this. It is my fault for what has happened. I told Akashi-kun to stop his studies to rest, as he did not look well and if he were to continue, he wouldn’t produce good enough results. We were planning to finish it today, so please-“

“ ‘We’? Seijuro, were you getting your servant to do your studies for you? Were you letting this _commoner_ do the work of a nobleman who must be absolute without the help of scum like this?!”

“No! That’s not it-“

“I was right not to have trusted you. What is it that you want? Do you want money? Of course you do. That’s all that poor people long for. You are working to help your family you say? Where’s the proof, _Furihara Kouki_. Who exactly are you?”

“I-“ Kouki stumbled over his own words and was visibly shaking. Rage coursed through Seijuro’s veins and he glared down at the table, no longer able to keep his composure as he curled his hands into fists.

“I know what you’re after. You were sent here weren’t you? You’re from the Hanamiya company aren’t you?” He chucked mockingly. “Did you think you could gain information, gain my son’s trust? Try to take down this company from the inside? I swear I will destroy you if you so much as-“ 

“ _ **Be quiet**._ ” Akashi had stood up and was looking at his father, his left eye ablaze with a fiery gold. “You know _nothing_. You are a selfish, ignorant and paranoid man who cares for nothing other than himself!”

There was a long pause in which two out of three people in the room were shaking with anger and adrenaline, the other shaking with fear.

“ _What did you just say to me?”_ His father’s voice was calm, scarily calm. As if he was so angry he was silent.

“For so long, I have lived like you. I thought that you were always right.” Akashi’s tone was bitter. “I thought that I must be like you in order to achieve what I needed. But I realised that you just want control. Because that is all you have. If you didn’t have everyone under your control then your whole company would come crashing down. You _disgust_ me!” Akashi was breathless. Shaking with adrenaline.

 

Before he knew it he felt his shirt get grasped by a strong hand and was smacked in the face. Hard. It was so forceful he fell to the floor, and felt blood seep from his cheek. His whole face had gone numb. He looked up in terror to see his father look down at him like he was dirt. He wasn’t angry anymore, he was terrified. His face stung and he could see blood on his father’s fist and he felt like he was about to vomit. His father crouched down and grasped a fistful of his hair, forcing Seijuro to look at him. The latter hissed at the force applied to his father’s grip.

“Do not _ever_ look down on me again.” He let go of his son and the latter fell towards the floor in shock.

Seijuro heard footsteps head in the direction of the door, and called a servant to bring his meal to his office. Once he had left the room, Seijuro realised that Furihata was still in the room, frozen. He tried to get up but his legs had given up on him. He was still in shock. His breathing was laboured, as if he was about to cry, but he couldn’t cry. He heard someone rush over to him and his head was lifted to meet Kouki’s watery eyes.

“Akashi-kun…”

“I- I’m fine” He wasn’t fine. He tried to brush Kouki away and get up but he was still shaking. "I-I'm an Akashi, I'm fine."

“No you’re not…” Furihata’s voice shook to a whisper. He helped Akashi up onto the nearest seat. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Kouki hurried out of the room and left Seijuro alone, he stared at his hands, vision blurring as he felt warm droplets trickle down his cheeks.

 

\---

 

Furihata hurried into the stairway down to the kitchens to see everyone staring back up at him, all looking a mix between bewildered and horrified. Furihata was still crying, and quickly wiped the wetness from his eyes.

“Furihata-kun…” Momoi looked up at him, clearly upset by what she had witnessed, or heard, since she hadn’t seen.

“Is he okay?” Kise said, his voice wavering.

“Jesus…” Kagami stood at the bottom of the stairs, just as shocked as the others.

Furihata tried to get through the crowd. “I- I need the first aid kit.”

Furihata rummaged around the kitchens with shaky hands before he found the familiar small box with the cross on it.

Everyone was still there when he returned to the stairwell. He once again pushed through the group of people crowded around the entrance, trying to avoid meeting anyone’s shocked gaze. When he returned to the room he saw that some of the table had been cleared, and Kuroko was bringing the trolley through, pretending not to notice Akashi through his mental breakdown, which Furihata and Akashi himself appreciated. Kuroko nodded to Furihata who was clutching the first aid kit and the bowl of warm water and a towel which he had quickly collected from the kitchen, and passed him into the kitchens, dismissing the staff promptly to give them some privacy.

Akashi was still sat in the same position, but was still shaking visibly; as much as he tried to hide it. Furihata placed the contents of his hands on the table beside him. The injured boy was hidden behind the long locks of his fringe, obviously not wanting to show Furihata his weakness.

“Akashi-kun…” Furihata gulped. Akashi wasn’t crying or trying to hold back tears, he was mostly still, apart from his shaking hands. He had frozen in shock and fear and couldn’t process what had just happened. “Has he hit you like this before..?”

There was a slight shaking of his head that signalled the answer ‘no’. Furihata felt somewhat relieved despite the situation. At least Akashi hadn’t experienced this many times before, and it might have just been a massive impulse of his father’s anger and frustration. However, he hadn’t looked shocked or at all regretful afterwards. In fact, his words ‘ _Do not_ ever _look down on me again’_ seemed like they were a threat, as though if Akashi were to make one move out of place, he would get something far worse. His red hair was still scruffed up from when his father had grasped it so violently, it must have hurt, not just physically, but to see a paternal figure inflict such disrespect, treating him like dirt on the bottom of his shoe… no wonder he is so shocked.

Furihata dipped the towel in the warm water and ringed it out so it was just damp. He put his hand carefully on Akashi’s chin and tried to angle his face up so he could see the wound. Akashi visibly flinched, and it took some retaliation, but eventually Akashi lifted his head, meeting Furihata’s gaze. His eyes were watery and he tried to blink back tears, composing himself. Furihata placed the towel gently onto the open wound, earning a hiss from the boy in front of him.

“Sh, I just need to clean the cut, just in case.” Furihata smiled at Akashi reassuringly, noticing how the redhead’s fearful eyes softened at the sight of his smile.

After many hisses and curses, Furihata had dressed Akashi’s swollen and bruised cheek, and was tidying away when he noticed Akashi staring.

“Is everything okay?” Furihata motioned to his bruised cheek.

Akashi nodded. “Thank you.” For the first time in a while, Furihata had seen Akashi genuinely smile, and couldn’t help but let another seep onto his face, his cheeks flushing slightly. 

“It’s my job, after all!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys!
> 
> Yes, I'm still alive, though I'm pretty sure I've been gradually decomposing from the amount of stuff I haven't been doing... I have wasted 6 weeks of this long ass holiday on the internet... hhh..
> 
> But I finally remembered that this chapter was on my computer even though I haven't finished the next one yet - I managed to recover this chapter and proofread it but ch 7 was lost and I cant edit the document bc my computer is an ass. But don't worry! I still have my notes and shit :)
> 
> (if u want to ask me a question, go to my tumblr: @animesltd)
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment and all that jazz, as always, I will say I will try to update soon, but you know me ahaha .... OTL gomen...
> 
> See you next time guys!  
> \- Anna


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